Accelerated BA/MA Degree in Computer Science at Queens College, CUNY

An Overview

The Accelerated BA/MA program permits students to use up to 12 credits of selected courses towards both
the Bachelor of Arts and the Master of Arts degrees in Computer Science. Rather than taking 150 credits
for both degrees (120 for the BA and 30 for the MA) students may earn both degrees with a minimum of 138
credits.

Students in the Accelerated BA/MA program may take up to four of the required graduate core courses
while still in the undergraduate BA program.

The "core" graduate courses are:

CSCI 700 - Algorithms I (in place of CSCI 323 for the BA)

CSCI 722 - Computability and Complexity (as an elective for the BA)

CSCI 715 - Distributed Computing (in place of CSCI 344 as an elective for the BA)

CSCI 744 - Computer Architecture and Networks (as an elective for the BA)

Students pay the undergraduate tuition rate for the graduate courses
taken as part of the BA credits until they complete a total of 120 credits.

Students may apply for the program as advanced sophomores or early juniors. An application form
is available below. Students must also fill out a Graduate School application, also available
below. Applications should be submitted to the Computer Science Department office. Applications
will then be processed by the Office of Graduate Studies.

Transfer students who enter the college with advanced standing should apply for the program as soon as
possible, normally as soon as they have taken a few courses in the CS Department at Queens.

Transcripts

On acceptance by OGS and the department, the students' major code will be changed to that appropriate for their program (eg, 025 for the Computer Science BA/MA).
Students will receive a Declaration of Undergraduate Major form with their
letter of acceptance from the Office of Graduate Studies that must be
filed with the Registrar. They will have a single transcript reflecting
the single program they are in, and both degrees will appear on the
transcript on completion of the program. Their GPA on the transcript will be calculated on
the basis of all the courses taken in the combined program.

Degrees Awarded

The BA/MA program is a single program which awards two degrees,
a BA and an MA, and the transcript will indicate each degree that
is awarded. Normally, both degrees would be awarded on completion
of the program, but a student may apply through the OGS for a BA
degree on completion of the undergraduate requirements, and then
be awarded an MA on completion of the remaining BA/MA requirements.
(If such a student is foreign, the Office of International Student
Services should be informed, in case of visa implications.) As
this is an accelerated program, it would not be customary for students
to interrupt their program between the BA and MA stages. Although
the students' course work might also qualify for a BS degree, this
degree cannot be awarded to students in the BA/MA program.

Tuition

As outlined in the catalog, admitted students will pay the
undergraduate tuition rate for the first 120 credits. Beyond 120 credits,
all courses, whether undergraduate or graduate, are at the graduate rate.

Grading Policy and Status

Some Queens College policies differ for undergraduate and graduate
students. For example, for an undergraduate, an INC changes to an F
after one semester, while for graduates INC's remain indefinitely.
Students in BA/MA programs are subject to the undergraduate policy
for courses taken in the first 120 credits and to the graduate policy
thereafter.